Online Reporter
Theseus Shambare
Herald Correspondent
AFRICAN leaders have been urged to unite for an urgent and sustained investment in water and sanitation projects, warning that the continent’s development aspirations risk being derailed if the US$30 billion annual funding gap is not bridged.
The call was made during the G20–African union Water Investment Summit in Cape Town — a three-day programme ending today — which brought together heads of state, ministers, financiers and development partners to mobilise resources for 80 priority projects worth US$32 billion across 38 countries.
Officially opening the summit, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that water security is central to Africa’s prosperity.
“Water is life. Its availability underpins the health of our people, the productivity of our economies, and our capacity to adapt to climate change,” he said.
“This summit is an opportunity to turn commitments into concrete, bankable projects that change lives.”
His Majesty King Mswati III of Eswatini echoed the sentiment, stressing that water was the lifeblood of Africa’s agriculture, industry and public health systems.
“We must be bold in investing in sustainable infrastructure that will serve both present and future generations,” he said.
Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka, who is also in attendance, described the summit as “the most productive day in terms of engagement” for his delegation.
“We pitched Zimbabwe as an investment destination,” Dr Masuka said.
“Our integrated model — combining electricity, irrigation, potable water, fisheries and wastewater management — resonated with investors, who found it an investment ‘yes.’”
He added that Zimbabwe had held talks with Botswana and South Africa on transboundary water cooperation and with the AU Commissioner for Agriculture on reintegrating the Africa Centre for Fertiliser Development into the AU framework.
South Africa’s Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, said the summit would shape preparations for the 2026 UN Water Conference in Dakar.
“This summit provides the platform to translate political will into investment commitments and tangible actions,” she said.
“Innovative financing models, such as public-private partnerships and blended finance, are key to closing the funding gap.”
Delegates agreed that scaling up investment is vital to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 — universal access to water and sanitation — by 2030.
Online Reporter